Tiger Eye dye job on flame maple

[bagman67]

So how does this work?

My guess:

Black dye; sand back, leaving the black dye in the pores.

Amber dye.

Brown burst edge (either a toner lacquer sprayed, or dye applied with a tampon).

Clear coat to taste.

Am I right?

 

[Jusatele]

I would agree except I think a dark brown sanded back

 

[Cagey]

So how does this work?

My guess:

Black dye; sand back, leaving the black dye in the pores.
Amber dye.
Brown burst edge (either a toner lacquer sprayed, or dye applied with a tampon).
Clear coat to taste.
Am I right?

Sounds right to me, although Jusatele may be right about the dark brown vs. black. I can't tell by looking at mine under indoor light, and even out in the sun it may appear brown when it's actually black. Look at Blackouts' "Molten Chocolate" Strat. That's all black, and it still looks brown.

Also, once you're happy with the dye job, you'll probably want to put several coats of sealer on it before you start shooting lacquer at it. Otherwise, you're liable to sand through it when leveling the clearcoats. The sanding sealer won't prevent that if you're too aggressive, but it does make it more difficult, plus it gives you a better baseline to start shooting the clear over.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

When I did my fire dye tele I used black.  It makes a difference when you look at the dyes right next to each other.  The dark brown looks very black on it's own, but the whole thing will have a warmer look to it if you use it.  The black tends to add a blue-ish hue.  Once again, it is splitting hairs.  But if you are going to do the effort, might as well get the brown.

I used the Reranch alcohol dyes.  So my experience is slanted according to that product.  I found you could put a thin line of dark around the edge with a q-tip and blend it into the rest with a paper towel that had acetone on it.  Acetone blended things nicely.  I also found that when you think a touch more blending might make it look better, that is your cue to quit.  It generally doesn't, and you lose the striking nature of the dark sanded back areas.  Finally, before you clear coat it, use sanding sealer.  The dyes can migrate into the clear and make it look much more yellow.  Fine for somethings, but I wouldn't use that approach on a finish like this.  The clear being clear makes it look like you can swim in it.  Yellow, not so much.
Patrick

 

[Johnfv]

My fireburst Strat definitely has some remnants of dark dye but I can't say for sure if they used black or dark brown. It does add a nice 3D quality to it. I dyed my Tele Amber but needed to do a lot of sanding after (because of the raised grain). It was my first finishing job and although not exactly what I intended it really makes the quilt pop. I decided it's best to leave the dye work to the pros!